Electric signaling apparatus for hotels



2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

(No Model.)

J. 'J. MILLER.

ELECTRIC SIGNALING APPARATUS FOR HOTELS.

Patented Apr. 22,

WITNESSES A 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

(No Model.)

J i J. MILLER.

ELECTRIC SIGNALING APPARATUS FOR HOTELS. No. 426,134;

Patented Apr. 22, 1890.

To Raom.

WITNESSES INZ EJVZOR 5%! 72% /%A Nirn TATES ArnNT OFFICE.

JOHN J. MILLER, OF CLEVELAND, OHIO, ASSIGNOR TO JAMES P. LANGLEY, OF EAST SAGINAIV, MICHIGAN.

ELECTRIC SIGNALING APPARATUS FOR HOTELS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent NO. 426,134, dated April 22, 1890.

Application filed February 15, 1889. erial No. 299,944. (No model.)

To all whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that 1, JOHN J. MILLER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Oleveland, county of Ouyahoga, State of Ohio, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Electric Signaling Apparatus for Hotels; and I declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it pertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this specification.

In the drawings, Figure l is a diagramr5 matic view illustrating my invention. Fig. 2 is a separate view of the switch-board and simultaneous signaling apparatus. Fig. 3 is a vertical section of the same, and Fig. i a detail of the indicator F.

It is the purpose of my invention to produce a system of signals or signaling apparatus for hotels, &c., which shall possess certain novel and valuable features, as follows: First, one wire leading to each room and a common return wire for all the rooms; second, connecting into such a one-wire system a bell and push-button in each room, whereby the occupant may signal the office, and a pushbutton at the oiiice, whereby the office may signal the occupant; third, connecting into the said circuit of each room the office annunciator-bell and individual annunciatordrop; fourth, connecting into the said onewire system an office-bell, annunciator indicators and bell, room-bells, ofiiee and room buttons, and clock mechanism for automatically signaling the rooms; fifth, iroviding simultaneous signaling apparatus adapted to signal the rooms by closing the same con tacts whereby the office signals the rooms in the regular course of business, thereby insurin g that the contacts for the simultaneous signaling apparatus shall be in operative order at all times; sixth, in the combination, with the foregoing, of electric mechanism whereby the clerk at a distance from the annunciator may, by pressing a button or rey, close an electrical circuit and restore the indicators on the annunciator to their initial. positions;

seventh, in combining with the foregoing an indicator on the annunciatonbell circuit,

adapted to be operated electrically by a room occupant, who, having pressed his button a given number of times for any particular object, causes the indicator to register and show 5 5 the purpose of the call.

In carrying out my invention, A represents the separate rooms of a hotel or other build ing, each provided with a bell a, push-button a, and contacts a a the connection being always maintained with a except when the button is pressed by occupant, when it is opened at a and closed with a B represents the oiiice annunciator-bell;

O, the annunciator drops or indicators.

D represents the office push-buttons for signaling the rooms. Each is provided with two contacts (Z d". The button is always in contact with (Z except when the button is pressed to signal a room, at which moment the contact is broken at d and made at d.

E represents the lever of the simultaneous signaling apparatus. It is engaged with all the push buttons or keys D, so as to force them all simultaneously into contact with 7 5 their respective contacts (1' in case of fire or for other reason. In the instance shown the push buttons or keys D are all fastened to the bar or leaf (Z hinged at the lower edge.

A link or pitman d engages with the lever E, so that by tilting the leaf the contacts are all made at once.

F is an indicator of any convenient c011- struction, in which a ribbon, band, or the like is provided with characters corresponding 8 5 with certain stated calls. Thus in the occupants room there may be a card indicating that the bell-button should be pushed once for a bell-boy, twice for the chamber-maid, three times for the porter, and so on, and this indicator F is so arranged that it will advance the ribbon or hand one space for each push of the button, and so leave exposed to view the purpose of the call. A button f may likewise be provided, whereby the clerk, 5 after observing the call, may, by pressing the button, restore the ribbon to its initial position. Such a construction is shown in a separate view, Fig. 4, in. which F is a ribbon having the proper words Boots, Boy, \Vater, [00 &c., printed upon it, and there is an orifice F through which one of said words may be exposed. F is a ratchet on the upper drum; F, a spring for returning the drum to its original position. F is an actuating-pawl which serves to move the ribbon one wordspace whenever the circuit is closed through the magnet F on the room-button circuit. F is a pawl for holding the ribbon in any position to which it may be moved and which may be released by closing the circuit through the magnet F on the circuit 1 of the officebutton f, when the spring will retract the ribbon. f is a yielding section at the end of the pawl F adapted to yield and permit the pawl to ride back past the ratchets after having moved the ribbon a word-space, and the whole pawl will yield-about its heel and ride 'over the ratchets as the spring retracts the ribbon. The annunciatorO may also be provided with means connected with a push-button 1) whereby the clerk may from the desk at a distance from the annunciator, by pushing the button, restore the indicators or drops to their initial positions. That shown in the drawings consists of a lever Z), connected with the push-rod b and actuated by an armaturelever 5 this beingin turn operated by a magnet 11 when the circuit is closed through the latter by the button Z).

G represents a clock mechanism. Its hourhand or corresponding arm or pointer constitutes a part of its operative circuit. There are contact-points at every hour and at such fractions of every hour as may be desired.

On a suitable switchboard are room-strips II and time-strips H, adapted for connection at their intersections by pins h.

The clock through suitable gearing is caused to revolve acylinder G once every hour, half-hour, or quarter-hour, depending on the time spaces between the contact-points on the clock and corresponding therewith. This cylinder has a row of pins 9, insulated or made of insulating material; The office of these pins is to operate the buttons or keys 7t, moving between two contact-points 72. 71 WVhen the pins are off from the keys, the keys maintain contact with the terminals 7L but when the pins are brought into action against the keys they break the connections at 7L2 and make connection at the point 7L3. This contact is maintained at, say, a halfminute, (more or less,) or while the pins are revolving past the keys. It is during this interval that the clock may operate automatically to signal the rooms, as will be hereinafter explained.

It will be observed that only one wire I leads from the office to any room, and that the return from any of the rooms to the office is by two trunk-lines I I. There are, therefore, needed only as many wires as there are rooms plus two.

I will now proceed to explain the operation of my system. Should the occupant of a room desire to call the office, he presses his pushbutton a. This breaks from a and makes con-- nection at a", thus closing the circuit through a I the battery X, annunciator-bell, the callindicator F, the annunciator 0, line '6 button or lever D, and line I back to the room, and by pressing his button the proper number of times he will make known his wants on the indicator F. The clerk having observed the call may press the button f and restore the indicator F to its normal state. Should the clerk desire to signal the occupant of any room, he simply presses the button or key D belonging to that room. He thus breaks from d and makes connection at cl, thus closing the circuit through i, battery Y, line I ,roon1-bell a, and line I. henever the office has been signaled the clerk may, by pressing the but ton b, restore the drops or indicators of the annunciator to their normal positions. Should a fire occur and it becomes necessary to alarm the occupants of all the rooms, the clerk simultaneously presses all the room-kcys D through the medium of the simultaneous signaling-lever E. Should any guest or guests desire to be called at a certain time, the clerk puts a pin it at the intersection of the guests room-strip II and the corresponding timestrip H. Now as the clock-pointer sweeps over the contacts on its face there will be no effect until it sweeps onto that terminal corresponding with the appointed hour. Even then no effect is produced until the cylinder G turns around and brings the pin g against the keys h. This breaks the key from 72/2 and makes connection at h, and closes the circuit through room-strip H, pin h, time-strip H, the clock, line I battery Y, room-bell a, line I, key D, and lined back to the starting-point. The bell continues to ring for the half-minute or so during which the pin g is riding past the key it. As soon as it has ridden past, the key breaks from k and re-establishes contact with 7 I would have it understood that I do not limit myself to the particular mechanism shown for performing the different parts of the work, and the same may be materially varied without departing from the principles of my invention.

What I claim is-'* 1. The combination, with a single line for each room, two trunk-lines constituting a common return, the annunciator bell on one of said trunk-lines, room-bells, and annunciator drops or indicators on each room-line, and the two-point push buttons or keys for each of said room-lines, of a clock having a series of terminals and connected with time and room strips, as described, and a two point push button or key connected with the clock mechanism and normally in the officeannunciator circuit, said clock mechanism adapted at stated intervals and for a short period to break the key from its normal contact and connect it with the room-bell circuit, substantially as described.

2. In a hotel electric signaling apparatus, the combination of a single line-wire for each room, two trunk-line wires constituting a com IIG mon return for the several rooms, an office call-bell on the return trunk-lines, a bell and a two-point push-button for each room, an annunciator-indicator on each room-line, a call-indicatorhaving a name-ribbon, a ribbonpropelling magnet in the call-bell circuit, and a ribbon-restoring magnet in an independent circuit controlled by a pushbutton in the office, and an office push-button in a circuit with the annunciator-indicators to restore the latter to their normal positions, substantially as described.

3. In a hotel signaling apparatus, the combination of a single linewire to each room, two trunk-line wires constituting a common return from all the rooms, roo1nbells, annun ciator-indicators, a two-point push-button for each room normally in the room-bell circuit, a push button at the office, and a call-bell and call-indicator at the office in circuit with the annunciator indicators and the office and room puslrbuttons, and comprising a nameribbon, a spring-drum, an clectro-inagnet and drum-operating armaturc-lever, and an electro-inagnet and drum holding and releasing armature-lever for restoring the name-ribbon to its normal position, substantially as described.

4. In a hotel signaling apparatus, the C0111- bination, withthe room-bells and an electric circuit including the same, of the sets of officc-contacts, each set comprising two separated pieces d d, the office push-buttons D, each projecting between a pair of said contact-pieces and norinallyheld in contact with one of the same, a .hinged swinging leaf or bar (V, to which all the push-buttons are secured and with which said buttons swing back and forth in the space between said sets of contact-pieces, and a lever E, for swingin g the leaf or bar, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I sign this specification in the presence of two Witnesses.

JOHN J. MILLER. \Vitnesses:

W. H. CHAMBERLIN, L. A. DoEL'rz. 

